I’m very excited to share this creamy mushroom pasta with you. It’s quite simple, but packed with rich umami flavor, fresh herbs, and thick bucatini noodles.
Mushrooms are wonderfully meaty and perfect for this hearty pasta. And we’re using two types of mushrooms here: first, cook the pasta in mushroom broth, then sauté the mushrooms in garlic and olive oil until golden brown before tossing with a little heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and parsley.
How This Recipe for Creamy Mushroom Pasta Works
This pasta is incredibly flavorful and hearty because of the umami that mushrooms provide. Glutamic acid, an amino acid that is not necessary but gives mushrooms their umami flavor, is abundant in mushrooms by nature. Glutamate creates the savory umami experience by binding to taste receptors on the tongue.
The umami flavor that the browned mushrooms add to this pasta is deep, savory, and rich.
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound whole-wheat or whole-grain spaghetti
- 1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms – shiitake, crimini, any that catch your eye at market
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
- 2 leeks
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup cream
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, for topping
Directions
- Heat water to a boil for the pasta, salt water, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.
- Wipe mushrooms clean with damp towel. Remove woody stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms.
- Heat a large deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until deeply golden and tender, 10 minutes.
- While mushrooms cook, halve the leeks lengthwise. Cut off a couple of inches from tough tops. Trim off root end. Thinly slice the leek then vigorously wash in a large bowl of cold water, separating all the layers to free of grit. Let leeks sit a few minutes then lift out of the water and dry on kitchen towel.
- Add leeks to mushrooms along with garlic and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more then add wine, reduce half a minute then stir in cream and heat through. Toss pasta with mushrooms and adjust seasoning. Top with grated cheese at the table.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Success Advice
Don’t overcrowd the mushrooms, as Julia Child famously stated. When I’m preparing mushrooms, I often remind myself of this crucial guideline. Heating the olive oil, adding the mushrooms in a single layer, and then letting them sit is the secret to creating that crispy exterior. The best crust will be produced by leaving them unattended for a few minutes. Repeat by flipping.
Cooking the pasta in a flavorful mushroom broth is another secret to this mushroom spaghetti. To be honest, you hardly need anything else. No additional salt or seasonings are needed because the mushroom broth perfectly seasons the pasta.
So, enjoy it like is (especially with a little bit of melted goat cheese or parmesan cheese), or make it the way I do here, with crispy sautéed mushrooms and heaps of parsley. My secret ingredient in this spaghetti and mushroom farro risotto is mushroom broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
For spaghetti, which mushrooms work best?
You can substitute your preferred mushrooms for the chestnut ones I use. White, button, cremini, and baby portobello mushrooms are all excellent, but if you want to try something different, you can also use chanterelle, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms (or a combination of these!).
Are you able to plan ahead?
These kinds of pasta recipes are typically best served immediately. On the other hand, you can immediately chill, cover, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheat each part separately in the microwave for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally.
Since the pasta will absorb more sauce when stored and reheated, you could wish to loosen it up with a little water, stock, or cream.
When making mushroom pasta, what type of pasta should I use?
Although you can use smaller pasta shapes like penne if you’d rather, I suggest using long pasta forms like tagliatelle, fettuccine, spaghetti, bucatini, linguine, and pappardelle since they pair especially well with creamy sauces. This dish calls for thin egg fettuccine.
Must I first cook the mushrooms?
No, you don’t need to boil the mushrooms first for this recipe because we’ll be frying them in butter to make a delicious mushroom pasta.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound whole-wheat or whole-grain spaghetti
- 1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms – shiitake,crimini, any that catch your eye at market
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil,eyeball it
- 2 leeks
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic,finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup cream
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano,for topping
Instructions
- Heat water to a boil for the pasta, salt water, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.
- Wipe mushrooms clean with damp towel. Remove woody stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms.
- Heat a large deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until deeply golden and tender, 10 minutes.
- While mushrooms cook, halve the leeks lengthwise. Cut off a couple of inches from tough tops. Trim off root end. Thinly slice the leek then vigorously wash in a large bowl of cold water, separating all the layers to free of grit. Let leeks sit a few minutes then lift out of the water and dry on kitchen towel.
- Add leeks to mushrooms along with garlic and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more then add wine, reduce half a minute then stir in cream and heat through. Toss pasta with mushrooms and adjust seasoning. Top with grated cheese at the table.
